GB919623A - Improvements in card feed mechanisms - Google Patents

Abstract

919,623. Feeding cards. INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION. Dec. 30, 1959 [Dec. 30, 1958 (3)], No. 44199/59. Class 78 (1). Cards are fed from hopper 12 (Fig. 2) by oscillating picker knife 16 operated by cams 78 and pass into the nip of rolls 20, which discharge the card leftwards; and the discharge is assisted by the positioning of the lowermost card by means of suction. Thus suction is applied at 90 to slots 98 of the picker knife 16, and at 60 to the throat slots 58. As the picker knife 16 withdraws to the right it draws the lowermost card to the right by suction till the card is positioned against stops 106. Then the knife pushes the card to the left, and the suction at 58 serves to flatten the card so as O guide it through the throat 43. The suction means may be replaced by electrostatic means, and the picker means may be replaced by discharging rolls. Preventing jamming (Fig. 7). Throat barriers 72 and card lifters 62 are both simultaneously raised by air-operated diaphragm 90 via rod 70, lever 66 and sectors 86, 88. This is effected as cards are being supplied to the hopper. The barriers 72 prevent the sliding forward of the cards as they are stacking themselves in the hopper and lifters 62 prevent discharge of the cards till a sufficient stack of cards has been supplied to the hopper.